The Only Freedom
by DreamColors
Summary: After a tragic night, fourteen-year-old Saoirse Alwood looses not only her mother, step-father, and house, but the majority of her memory. Not even two years later, she meets up with the Elric Brothers and is in search the memories that she lost, believing they are binding her from her freedom. What will it take to reclaim what is lost? Will Saoirse be willing to pay the price?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Why?

That was the only question that bounced around in a young girl's head. Why? Why was this happening? Why couldn't she remember? It was like waking up from a terrible night terror, screaming in horror but not remembering what had happened. No- it wasn't like that. It was exactly that situation. Not just five minutes ago, this girl had woken up, screaming for no reason only to find most of her memory gone just like that. To what she woke up to was a nightmare within itself. With several military officers running around, her home destroyed and a sick feeling in her stomach. The young girl went over what she knew quite well.

_My name…Saoirse Alwood, pronounced Seer-sha Alwood._ That she knew quite well, as well as her age, her exact height, which she wasn't quite proud of, that she was, regretfully, rather flat chested for a fourteen year-old. _I have a mother, Abby Alwood, Abby means little smith. My mother was a black smith. My father- _That was a painful area to remember, why didn't she know anything about her dad? What about any siblings. No- that was a painful area as well.

She knew little, but enough to know herself. Saoirse Alwood was fourteen years old, with a downgrading height a of 5'1". There was more, but the situation at hand had taken Saoirse's attention away from her memory, and the remembered the deadliest of them all. Her mother and stepfather were killed right in front of her and then her house was set in flames. But who did it? Why? What happened? She couldn't remember anything in great detail, she couldn't remember the majority of that day or the days before. The clearest of her past was the farthest away, however somethings were painful to remember all together. Though, that's the only thing she could do. Remember.

A state of turmoil and shock claimed her body and fit of trembling as dry tears slid down her cheeks, but her lip didn't quiver nor did any sobs choke out of her throat. No one seemed to be paying any attention to her at that time as she stood up from the cot she was laid out on and grabbed her leather jacket that someone was so nice to leave on the cold, wet concrete. Saoirse quickly pulled the jacket one and over her wet arms and black tube top. With the collar popped, Saoirse pulled her jacket together and the collar flaps brushed against her cheek and the mess of her dark hair. Usually, said dark hair would be in a braid that traced all the way down to her middle back, generally with her long bangs free to partially cover her eyes. Though, her hair was now a mess that clung to her face and neck.

Dark eyes, filled with pain, sorrow and hatred, stared at the remains of her house now degraded to nothing but ashes. The girl tensed and looked around, looking for anything that survived the flames, and her eyes narrowed on an evidence crate. With a deep intake of breath and then an exhale, Saoirse looked at the ground for a while before dashing off in the direction of the case. She bumped into an officer, be didn't mind him as she grabbed the case and ran off the scene. Afterwards she could hear several footsteps and commands directed her way, which only quickened her pace. The case wasn't all that heavy, thank god, and still allowed the girl to maneuver well.

With a swift movement in her ankle, she slid past two other Military men. One was way taller than the other, black hair, and the usual blue uniform, the other was much short and much younger with long blond hair pulled back into a short braid, however he was wearing a long, red coat. Both looked rather shocked to see her slip by so easily, and as she did so, she could've sworn she saw two silver pocket watches. If her memory served her right, that was the mark of a State Alchemist. In other words, Military dogs with a higher ranking than the usual petty officer. Great.

Out of curiosity and instinct, Saoirse snatched the pocket watch from the older and taller of the two. She didn't exactly know why, but for some reason the shiny things caught her attention and she wanted to take a closer look at it. Plus, she heard about the funds that State Alchemists get, and you can get access to said funds straight from the pocket watch.

"Hey, get back here you brat!" She heard one of the two yell, more than likely the Blondie considering how child-like its tone and terms were. Two more pairs of footsteps and shouting came her way, and it was her time to bail as quickly as possible. As she passed by, Saoirse swung the case at a cart that contained many fruits of all the sorts as she dodged into an alleyway of the city. Though, she didn't realize how much of a maze the place was until she got deeper into the main part of the city. Though, she stuck with all the alleyways, so of course things would get confusing.

After maybe a mile of running, Saoirse leaned against the wall, breathing deeply and with each movement, water dripped down from her chin. Trembling hands clutched to the evidence case as though it were her life. Maybe it was. Maybe the contents in this one case would bring back her memory. Hopefully. Crammed in with the case handle, Saoirse also was holding the silver pocket watch she had taken. Why had she taken this again? The dark-haired adolescent had no clue, really. The thing fascinated her in a way that drew her too it. Though, she wasn't much of a thief.

Okay, that was an understatement considering how many weapons she'd take from her mother's shop and hide in a hollow space of her mattress. At least, she knew that much about her past. Though, unfortunately, it was only the little things she remember, like how she recently moved to the Eastern part of Amestris straight from her backwater area in the North, way past Central, or the bedtime stories that her mother had told her as a child and sometimes as a pre-adolescent, and also her stepfather of whom she was quite fond of. She remembered her many years of studying and training with weaponry due to her mother's persistence of her being a mercenary or maybe even a black smith like herself. Strange, since generally mothers would want their daughters to be sophisticated, beautiful housewives or those of great authority. Nope, not Abby Alexander though, she'd rather her daughter be a Military dog than a housewife, and that was saying something.

Saoirse was finally calming down for once, getting herself collected and cool. That is until more footsteps came her way, including that rather young looking State Alchemist.

* * *

Edward Elric skimmed through the narrow alleyway. No wonder that runaway went through here, only she could fit into it. The Fullmetal Alchemist struggled through the tight spots. He had gone ahead of everyone, knowing that after that little stunt with the fruit cart that she'd make a mad dash for the maze that is the city's alleyways. Though, it wasn't until now that Ed had realized his mistake. He wasn't all that familiar with the back roads system.

Before he could reach the end of the alleyway, a small, female, fair-skinned hand reached out from another alley and pulled Edward towards that direction. He didn't have enough time to react and before he knew it, the blond was pinned to the ground with a hand over his mouth. The girl had managed to catch him! How exactly did this work out? Not that it mattered. Though, it did piss Ed off just a bit.

"You gonna be quiet, Mr. State Alchemist?" She hissed, eyes narrow. Ed couldn't help but noticed how shaky the girl was, even with her hand firmly silencing him, her whole arm and most of her body trembled. He stared at her for a while, and she stared back, waiting for any type of answer. Finally, he rolled his eyes as if to give up and then nodded. She slowly removed her hand and then reached into her back pocket. She pulled out the silver pocket watch she had managed to snatch from Colonel Roy Mustang, holding it by the chain she dangled it in front of Ed's face. "Look, if I give this to you, do you mind not ratting me out?" She went straight to the point, but for some reason her voice wavered and cracked, so though she was holding back sobs. Then it clicked.

"Your parents were inside that house, huh?" Ed asked, know that he might've crossed a very personal line. His tone was very serious and solemn, and his words made the girl visibly flinch. A pang of pain flashed through those dark eyes before they calmed and a forced, sad smile tilted her lips up. She sighed and brushed a hand through her soaking wet hair.

"My mother and stepfather," Suddenly, she wasn't shaking anymore as her fists clenched around the objects they held. "They were killed, but I don't know why." Her bitter tone had returned, and Ed could tell she was really hurt by the events that he'd been informed of. He had lost his concentration on his own thoughts and memories, remember what it was like to lose a very close family member. He didn't even seem to notice when the girl started smiling again, only this time she was crying.

"Are you trying to find out why with that evidence case?" Ed nodded toward the silver case the she held in the other hand. Her forced smile only turned into a grimace and she nodded. Quickly she got off of him as he began to struggle from under her. Both of the teens stood and noticed something. Ha! She was shorter than him! Though, now wasn't exactly the time to note it to the girl. "Alright then," Ed sighed and swiped Colonel Mustang's pocket watch from her. She was about to reach after him to retrieve it, but as quickly as she started the action had it ended. Though, the gleam in her eyes was resentful. "I'm going to let you off the hook for now. But you better scram before I change my mind."

The girl's dark brown eyes widened in shock, she really didn't expect him to take her deal. With a short nod she smiled at the Alchemist before turning away. "I owe you, Mr. Pipsqueak Alchemist!" She threw over her shoulder before disappearing into the rest of the maze of the alleyways. That struck a nerve, and Ed was about to yell out to the girl had he not heard a familiar and unwanted voice.

"Fullmetal, did you manage to find the girl?" The Flame Alchemist himself yelled down the narrow alleyway that Ed had managed to squeeze into. Ed hesitated to answer before sighing. Man, why was he so damn charitable?

"No, she got away," Ed called back in a spiteful tone that wasn't at all forced due to who exactly he was talking to. "But I got your watch back, Colonel. Guess she dropped it while she was running."

"That's good." Roy sighed. "Now get out of there and give it back, Fullmetal,"

"What the hell do you think I'm doing?!" Ed shouted over at his higher-up as he tried to squeeze back through the tight alleyway. Geeze, how the hell did he managed to get down here in the first place?

"Brother, are you okay?" Another familiar voice called, that of Ed's brother, Alphonse Elric. Ed looked up and grimaced at the sight of his armor-made brother trying to see him past the Colonel, both stood infront of the entrance to the narrow alleyway.

"Hey, Al. Yeah, I'm fine, it's just a tight squeeze back here." Ed answered a bit sheepishly, pushing away any thoughts of the strange girl that he let get away. Though, it wasn't until the taste of salt met his lips that he realized rain water wasn't the only liquid substance that soaked his face.

* * *

**A/N: **Oh…my…god. I started another fanfic…this'll be interesting…Not that I'm not excited about this fanfic! (And I know my PD fans will kill me for putting this up and not updating PD in like...weeks. SORRY!)

Okay, I think ya'll deserve an explanation. WELL, um…I wrote this really damn late because of a dream I had involving said fanfic. I woke up and was like, "Holy crap, I gotta write this," and so I stayed up until five in the morning writing this. Ha! So, sorry if it's not exactly up to par, but this dream really wasn't going to be ignored. It was too damn good to ignore.

Okay! So, onto the story, shall we? Um, I am going to do a bit of a different style, maybe, with this unlike my other fanfic, Pale Dagger. This'll have different story arcs and small sub-plots and such. The biggest change of it, is the addition of music! Yes, indeed. For most of these chapters there will be a set OST or song for the chapter. Mainly this is because my new OC, Saoirse Alwood, is very incorporated with music as you will learn in these first few chapters and many to come. Oh, and speaking of said OC…*grumble.* I'M GOING TO HAVE SUCH A HARD TIME WRITING HER!

Ah, well, I love her anyway. Teehee. Ah, I really hope I can keep up with two full-blown fanfics. Well, it shouldn't be that hard since PD won't be that long and then this sucker is going to be HUGE! (This is what I get for getting re-obsessed with FMA!)

Alright then! Onto the big thing at hand. I'm not exactly sure if I want to do this in the original Fullmetal Alchemist anime story, or Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. This is where you lovely readers come in. I put up a poll on my profile for you guys to choose. It only takes like a minute and a half to vote, so please do!

**Song(s) of this chapter-**

**1) Tile: **Mérida Rides Away

**From: **Disney Pixar's _Brave_

**Composer: **Patrick Doyle

**2) Title: **Never Meant to Belong (Taylor Davis's Violin Cover)

**From: **_Bleach_

**Composer: **Shiro Sagisu

**Arranger: **Ben Chan

**REVIEW! ^^**


	2. Long Time, No See

**Chapter One**

**Long Time, No See**

"Dammit! I can't find a single thing about the Philosopher's Stone!" Edward Elric growled, glowering at the last bookshelf he thought he would ever look at. He liked reading, but it was at that time that he was looking for something particular and wasn't too pleased to find that there was no trace of the fabled stone within the Central Library. In was late at night, and both Elric brothers were looking through the large 2nd branch library since the early afternoon when they first got into Central that day. There was no doubt that Colonel Roy Mustang would try to contact them anytime soon, so why rest?

"There aren't even any lore books. It is weird because last time we were here, I could've sworn I saw _something_," Alphonse Elric sighed and slid a brown colored hardback back into its place on the shelf. "You don't think someone's stealing them, do you?" The soul-bound armor pivoted to look over at his older, yet shorter brother. Ed just shook his head and groaned, leaning back against a nearby table. He had enough of this; meeting nothing but dead ends. It was bad enough that Mustang's leads got them nowhere, but to come to one of the biggest and best libraries and not find anything, it was a bit disappointing. Okay, that was an understatement. It really pissed the Fullmetal Alchemist off.

"C'mon, Al," The blond waved at his brother to follow as he turned around and grabbed his jacket, heading out for the night. "I've had enough of this, we're-" Without him noticing, Ed had managed to bump into a girl who had rushed through the library, her head ducked and hands on a few books and journals. The girl managed a very weak gasp as the jolt knocked her down, and then she tripped over the leg of one of the chairs pushed under the table. The books slipped out of her arms as she hit the ground and her cloak pulled back enough to show most of her body and her face.

A hip-long, dark, brown braid trailed down her back and over her waist, curling at the trough of her curved abdomen. Despite the black cloak, she was wearing something a normal girl wouldn't, or at least none that Ed would think of himself. She wore a simple black tube top and dark brown shorts, white bandages covered her triceps, hands and calves, as well as her lower waist area, barely covering her well-muscled abdomen, all complimented with bare feet, also wrapped in bandages. Her body was lithe and well-built for a girl of her age, though she had to be one of the few people who were shorter than him. Though, for some reason, Ed couldn't help feel like he knew her. With a jerk, she sat up and started to gather the books again, trying as hard as she could not to make eye contact with the Elric brothers.

"Are you okay? Here, let me help you," Al's kind voice was directed at the girl, as Ed's armored brother knelt down beside her and picked up one of the books, handing it too her. The title seemed to catch his eye. "Hey, is this a book on the Philosopher's Stone?" The youngest brother asked, his helmet scrapping against the rest of his armor as he titled his head.

"Oh, no! Don't help me, I'm fine, really." She said with a laugh as she swiped the book away from Al and stood up with the rest of her books gathered in her arms. She brushed back the remainder of the hood that clung to her head, revealing her face. She seemed about Ed and Al's age, if not younger. Her complexion was fair and freckled, and semi-long dark bangs covered darker eyes. "Thanks, though." The girl's voice was high-pitched and innocent, but it sounded forced and fake. This girl wasn't much of a good actress.

"Say, I don't really recognize you from the Military, which is funny because this library if for Military use only." Ed said nonchalantly, though the arrogant gleam in his eyes was undeniable. The girl's body tensed instantly, and her brow furrowed just slightly to let both brothers know that there was something wrong with this girl. "Mind showing me an ID? As a State Alchemist, I think I have to right to question you." This time, Ed smirked at her, though he didn't expect her to smirk right back at him, kind eyes turned into orbs of malicious intent.

"Well, well, Blondie, guess I need to work on my acting," Her tone had changed too, from kind and innocent to sly and smug. "Ah, well, mind letting me off the hook again?" She chuckled playfully, glancing over at Ed. _Again?_ What did she mean by that? He'd never met this chick in his entire life. Or at least, that's what he thought. Otherwise than being a bit surprised at her words, Ed remained calm and just grinned.

"Have we met before, or something? Either way, sorry but I'm not letting you off the hook, especially since it seems you have something that we kinda need right now." The blond stood in her line of sight, arms crossed, expecting her to either give up, try to make a dash for it, or swing at him. He couldn't quite read the expression on her face, but she seemed amused.

"You don't remember me? For shame, sir! If I were you, I'd cherish all memories," The girl pouted, though her voice wasn't at all sad, more so mocking. Before any of the brothers could stop her, she lashed out her hand and threw a chained dagger at the ceiling behind them. Ed managed to dodge the blade as it whipped out and stuck in the wood ceiling. With a quick movement, she pulled herself up and swung over Edward and landed behind them in front of an open window, probably the one she snuck in from.

"Hey! You can't steal those!" Al protested against her actions as she climbed onto the window ledge and stood there in a crouch. She grinned devilishly and balanced in the window seal, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.

"Actually, I can. I don't mean to be rude, but I have no choice but to leave early on our chat." The girl turned her head to look at Ed. "See ya, Mr. Pipsqueak Alchemist," She quipped before back flipping out of the window sill and into the night. Both brothers rushed over to the window and looked out, only to see that she was long gone. Where could she have gone?

"Brother, did you know her?" Alphonse asked Ed as he backed away from the window and thought on her words. Did he know her? She looked familiar.

_See ya', Mr. Pipsqueak Alchemist!_

_I owe you, Mr. Pipsqueak Alchemist!_

The voices clicked, and despite they were different tones and said in different ways, they were all the same. It was that girl from almost two years ago, who had stolen the evidence case of her parent's murder. "It was her. From two years ago, remember?" Ed said toward his brother, who stared at him and if armor could looked confused, he looked confused.

"What are you talking about?" Alphonse inquired with a tilt of his metal head.

"Remember back at Eastern Command two years ago, there was a fire while we were in town so we went to check it out. There was a girl there that stole the evidence case. That was her! People thought she had something to do with the fires, but really she was the kid of the people who died there. She claimed that someone killed her parents and then set her house on fire." Ed explained in a rush and pulled on his jacket. Not only did he need to catch this girl for stealing, in particular books that he was in great need of, but also out of curiosity of her. Why had she popped up again all of a sudden, stealing books on the Philosopher's Stone in Central's federal library?

"Yeah, I remember now! She tried to steal Colonel Mustang's State Alchemist watch too!" Al's voice was lit with recognition as he spoke. "But, what did she want with the evidence case?"

Ed looked out the window and sighed, no longer seeing any sign that the girl had been there. Like an apparition of the past, she came and left. "I dunno," His brow furrowed as he spoke, he was seriously thinking hard on this girl. Such a mystery. "For all I know, she could've lied to me and been responsible for the fire." Though, for some reason, he didn't think that was the case. Why would a girl cry for people she would have killed? "There's only one way to find out," Ed let a small grin crease on his lips, but before he could think anymore, his younger brother spoke up in protest.

"Not now, Ed. We should wait until tomorrow and get some rest tonight, especially you, Brother. You look really tired,"

"Do I really?" The dark circles under Ed's eyes began to appear, it was clear now that the boy was truly exhausted. Al only laughed at how oblivious his brother was. "Alright, I guess sleep would help."

* * *

The next day, after a short, eight hours of sleep in a nearby hotel, both brothers searched a small portion of the city but could never find her again. No one even heard of her until they came across a drunkard in the gutter who had informed them of a similar looking girl who worked as a fiddler at a local restaurant in the evenings. Though, this man didn't really give a name of this restaurant. Strange, though, considering a girl of her type, the thieving type, didn't match the profile of a fiddler. After a little consulting, the Elrics agreed to split up and search, just in case this girl wasn't feeling like going to work that day. Ed couldn't help but be a bit jealous, a girl her age already having a job. He feared if it weren't for this State Alchemist deal, he wouldn't have a job.

Edward had searched around the southern part of Central, and Alphonse had the northern parts. That evening, it seemed forever before Ed was about the give up and head back to the, but the bustling of many people in a certain restaurant caught the blonds attention and he checked it out just to see what was going on and leaned in the doorway, just to get a peek. There was a small stage where three girls dressed all up in long skirts and country-like blouses were exiting and another was entering. It was that same girl from before. She was wearing practically the same thing as before besides the semi-transparent wrap over her shorts that created a skirt-like effect. With a violin in one hand and a bow in the other, she stood center stage and adjusted herself to playing.

It took only five seconds for her to tune before she began playing a rather slow folk song, swaying her hips to the beat. For the first part of her performance her eyes remained closed in a calm, she didn't even notice that he was there. Edward wasn't all into the music stuff, so it was only natural that the boring part would make him a bit…well, bored. As she played the last high note that rung throughout the restaurant, the mood seemed to change at that moment as the many people at the dinner and a show started clapping. It was that same mood change from kind and innocent, to sly and smug. The next song was a bit more upbeat and fiddle-like, with a faster pace and a more playful tune. The people cheered as though they knew this side of her and her playing ad began clapping along with the beat of the song, and this time as she played she moved around, kicking her feet up as she pranced and spun around the entire stage area, leaning this way that and giving off teasing and playful expressions to her audience before she leaned closer to the ground and played a last note, pausing for a moment as four beats past and she stood straight again, her bow now playing two strings rather coarsely. Now, this was fiddle music.

It seemed as though her playing were about as teasing and playful as she, with a hint of snob in there as she threw know-it-all glances at certain people, but over all her music remained quite innocent, even at the fast paced parts. Dancing as she played, she threw out many different yips and yells. It was really quite amusing and fun, and thinking that this talented sixteen-year-old would ever steal something was barely thought of at first glance. When she played her last note, the hand with her bow shot up in a grand finale before she swung it around and bowed. Even Ed applauded, even though he was going to have to search down this girl and maybe force some information out of her accounting for some stolen books.

Though, he had to say, her performance was impressive. As she exited the stage, dark eyes met with his and narrowed in what seemed like irritation. Looks like he's been found out.

* * *

After the thief had left the stage, Ed had called in for his hotel and told the clerk to tell Al to get over to the restaurant as soon as he could once they saw him, and since it was dark, there was no mistake that the youngest Elric would return soon enough. Sure thing, it wasn't a little more than a half an hour later that Alphonse had appeared and waited with Ed outside the restaurant until the owners had started shutting down for the night and asked them to leave. Of course, they only moved across the road and waiting for what seemed about five minutes before she appeared again. Only, instead of avoiding them, she walked directly in their direction.

She stood in front of them and placed her hands on her hips, grinning as though she had accomplished something really big. "You like the performance? Shame to say you need to pay me, though, since technically I get my money from the payment the customers got from ordering food. You didn't pay for any food, and I don't play for free." She said in the formal, smart-alecky tone she had held the night before. Did she really expect them to pay her?

"No, I don't think so," Ed said in a tone just as smug. He jumped up from his seat, his hands still in his pockets. "If I remember correctly, you owe me, and since I didn't report you directly to the authorities for thievery, you owe my double." He saw the girl flinch and tense up, she didn't see that coming, but then an impressed smile graced her lips.

"So, you remember, now, huh? Alright then, Mr. Pipsqueak Alchemist-"

"Shut up! I'm not short, look who's talking, you're the one who's short!"

"I'm a girl, that's why!"

"Really? It doesn't look like it!"

"I'm not flat chested!"

"Will you two please stop fighting?!" Al cut into their argument, exhausted by both of their tempers. Both arguing teens looked over at the rather intimidating armor and shut up. The girl had coughed and got back to business, reclaiming her calm and snarky demeanor.

"Anyway, to cut to the chase, I'll wipe off your fee for the performance. Now as for the other debt, what do you want?" She spoke directly at Al, not really wanting to engage any conversation with the Pipsqueak again, she was rather offended when he pointed out her slightly flat chest. _Why would he even look there in the first place? Guys are all perverts!_

"Well," Al spoke, soft toned. "We were wondering if you could give back those books you took, we kinda need them, really." He explained kindly. The girl studied both boys for a while, and it seemed as though she had them figured out completely, but the vibe faded away as quickly as it came. She chuckled darkly and shook her head.

"So, you guys are looking for the Philosopher's Stone, as well?" She asked casually, folding her arms and leaning back a bit, waiting for an answer from one of them. Though, she didn't expect to hear what she heard.

"You know, you can't bring them back. The people who died two years ago," Ed muttered from the side, her voice hollow and serious as he stared at her smug self. She visibly flinched at his words and shot him a nasty glare. She had dropped her arms and her hands turned into fists that curled tight to hide the shaking from her anxiety.

"You think I don't know that?" She bit, guarding her gaze firmly as she continued. "I'm not stupid; any alchemist knows that human transmutation is taboo. Not only that, but at least I have enough common sense to know that people are probably better off dead where they can really be free," Her words and tone came to a shock. Sure, they both expected her to point out that human transmutation is taboo, but this weird belief that a person is "free" in the afterlife was a bit…unexpected. Though, was it exactly nonsense? Of course, neither brother was really huge believers in God or anything. Thinking like that was just a bit too complicated for them and didn't seem relevant to the world. Though that wasn't the only thing that struck their nerves.

"You're an alchemist?" Al asked a bit too excitedly and it seemed as though he mood brightened about this new information. The girl's firm and guarded expression faded as she blinked at them for a moment before nodding very slowly and then shook her head fiercely.

"No! Urg. Okay. Look, gentlemen, I really need to go and if you want those books, feel free to follow me. I won't stop you, but I'm not exactly sure about my mentor." She grumbled before turning around and walking down the road without any more say. Al was about to ask questions, mainly involving what kind of alchemy she used and a bunch of other technical terms, but her actions left him in the dust. Ed just shook his head and walked behind her.

"I guess that means we're following her," Ed said to his brother as they both walked, side by side like always. The girl didn't even seem to acknowledge them, probably for the sake of not getting in trouble with this "mentor" she mentioned. Al nodded and then looked ahead.

"Hey, what's your name again?" He called to her in a haste.

The girl looked at the sky and grinned a sly grin. "S.A.O.I.R.S.E. Alwood. Saoirse Alwood."

* * *

**A/N:** Such a short chapter, I'm a bit surprised…generally my chapters are like…4,000-5,000 words. This is a little over 3,000…It kinda unnerves me!

Okay, so if you want info, this is between episodes 1 & 2 in the Brotherhood storyline. I decided to go with Brotherhood simply because I like the story a little better… Hope this is okay! I don't want to give anyone a heart attack!

Hopefully you guys liked it and I hope you guys like Saoirse so far! I hope she isn't very mary-sue-ish…Hehe, I try to stray away from it, but sometimes it tends to sneak up on me. I loved writting the argument between Saoirse and Edward, just the whole: "I'm not short!" "I'm not flat chested!" deal was freaking hilarious for me. I dunno about ya'll...

Feel free to leave a review and drop a favorite and a follow! I really appreciate it, it'll be my fuel for this fic.

The song that Saoirse played in the restaurant was a song performed by the fiddler in Celtic Woman, Mairead Nesbitt, called Shenandoah-The Pacific Scope.

I can already see the fans of PD trying to kill me later in life for updating this and not PD…Hehe! Sorry! Whelp, I gotta go before I get killed!

Next chapter, we see a bit of action and even more angst! Yay!

Ciao!

~DreamColors


	3. A Fool's Game

**Chapter Two**

**A Fool's Game**

Saoirse sighed heavily and leaned against one of the walls at the dead-end of the alleyway she was so used to seeing. Dull, dark eyes scanned the wall that blocked off their path and she sighed, looking at the ground as unpinned strands of brunette hair fell in front of her eyes, longer than her usual bangs. Looked like she'd need a trim soon. Many thoughts went through her mind in one vivid moment. Why of all people did she run into this State Alchemist once again after nearly two years? A lot changed after that night. Night terrors that she couldn't remember the moment she woke up only reminded her of her missing memories, and in a way that added to the empty feeling in the back of her mind. Her mentor had promised her a way to get her memories back, through the Philosopher's Stone. So, she started working under him and even stole things to get any information on the legendary stone, and in one of those thefts she managed to run into the pipsqueak and his armor clad brother. They were looking for the stone, too. Was this going to prove a problem?

The worse was the feeling she had about bringing them here. She knew that her mentor would get mad and maybe try to kill them. That's why she didn't promise any positive reactions from her mentor. Then, knowing her mentor, he'd make Saoirse fight them as well, and in all honesty, she didn't want to do that. Not that she wasn't good or anything, but she never liked the thought of ending a life. Nor did she like the thought to creating life either.

The brunette chuckled and shook her head. Why were her thoughts so damn sappy all of a sudden? _You know, you can't bring them back. The people who died on that night two years ago._ That kid's words echoed throughout her mind. Maybe that was why? Damn him.

"So, uh…Saoirse, was it?" The blond from before asked as he approached her in the alleyway, the armored brother by his side. Dark eyes shifted his way, waiting for a response. She wondered if they had sensed her sudden change of mood. All this seriousness wasn't quite like her. "Why exactly did you lead us to a dead-end in an alleyway?"

Once again, Saoirse reclaimed her playful and trickster-like demeanor as she let out a sly giggle of sort and walked over to the adjacent wall in a dancing manner. "Oh, it's not necessarily a dead-end." She said in a somewhat innocent voice as she placed her bandaged hand on the wall over an engraved transmutation circle. There was a flash of light and a section of the wall opened up to a hollow spot that held her weapons and a couple other important items. She grabbed a leather belt and strapped it around her waist loosely so it could fall slightly in a slight to touch her left hip bone. On the belt was a single dagger holstered into a small brown bag that seemed to carry a heavy content. She also retrieved a leather jacket and another weapon holstered onto a leather belt. This belt and weapon was slightly bigger than the previous ones, the weapon was a peculiar shaped short sword that adjusted diagonally on her back, thanks to the wide belt. The blade had strange engravings in the blade and what seemed like a transmutation circle on the hilt. "At least not for me,"

"You're not saying you gonna try to kill us, are you? That's double-crossing!" Blondie started and both brothers took into fighting positions. Saoirse turned and stared at them for a while before howling of laughter. The two dropped their hands and stared at her, confused about why she wasn't making some witty comment and coming after them.

"I'm not trying to kill you. My, aren't you two a bit foolish," The brunette chuckled, pull on her jacket before adjusting her holster across her chest. She reached back into the compartment and retrieved a single, fingerless glove and slipped it on her left hand, as well as a small bucket of black paint. With a swift movement she popped open the bucket and spun around, splashing nearly all the paint on the dead-end wall. The teens watched the wall as the paint flowed into the cracks and crevasses of the stone wall, creating a larger transmutation circle. Saoirse moved up and placed her right hand on the wall and once again displayed a bright-light fascination as the dead-end turned into a well-built door.

"What are your names?" She asked calmly, not facing them and letting her hair guard her eyes from nothing.

"I'm Alphonse Elric and this is my older brother, Edward." Naturally the much calmer and kinder one would answer in a kind manner. Saoirse grinned lightly and chuckled once again. Why did she haft to act all serious all of a sudden? It was depressing.

She opened the door and ushered both brothers in. "You guys better be quick," The adolescent said teasingly. "The transmutation doesn't last long." With one last chided giggle, she slipped into the dark corridor, leaving the boys to figure out whether they should follow or not.

* * *

Alphonse and Ed had followed her in and from then on she hadn't said anything at all, even when they tried to talk to her she didn't say anything, as though they were ghosts I the darkness of the stone corridor. Not long after they entered, the transmuted door had sparked to life and disappeared. For a while both brothers tried to talk to her as they walked on, but she never replied so they resided to talking to each other. The darkness of the tunnel began to get to Al, he was never fond of the dark. Not that it scared him or anything, just kinda creeped him out. Kinda like that feeling of having someone inside your armor. Then again, not many people would know about that feeling.

"So, do you think it's a trick?" Al asked his brother whose brow furrowed more in thought. "She might be trying to lure us to a trap. We ever know, she's been acting a bit too nice, don't you think?" It wasn't quite like Al to be so paranoid, but there was something about this girl that he didn't get. Why would she want the Philosopher's Stone other than the fact that her so-called mentor would want it? The youngest brother wasn't all too great at reading people. That was more of Edward's line of profession.

"No. I don't think that's it. She's hiding something, that's for sure, but I don't think she's really one to kill," Ed murmured in a low tone, making sure the brunette in front of them wouldn't hear the majority of their conversation. "I'm not exactly sure about this 'mentor' guy," The info they had managed to get from Saoirse about her mentor was very little and the image of him was sketchy, but they both had the feeling he wasn't quite the guy they should trust.

Alphonse nodded in agreement and looked ahead. Saoirse had paid no mind to them at all, so he couldn't tell whether she had heard them at all. Al's vision fell on her sword and he wondered for a moment how exactly her alchemy worked. Maybe it had to do with altering her weapons to make them more effective in different situations of a fight. So, a combat alchemist, basically.

Actually, now that he thought on it, Al had to agree with Ed. She didn't seem all that bad. Sure, she was hiding something, but as a person she didn't seem like the bad guy in the situation.

"Saoirse? Is that you?" A new voice called from the darkness. It was old and rusty, that of a man's voice, as well. Saoirse instantly tensed and for a moment she looked like a soldier.

"Yes, sir, it's me. I'm back. Sorry, it took me a while." Saoirse called, flipping her braid behind her back from over her shoulder. Her tone had changed formal, lacking all sly and playful tune. She had stopped where she was, and so did they due to a hand gesture she gave them from behind her back.

"It's alright, it gave my more time to train my eyes by trying to decrypt these infernal notes." The voice barked at her, as though it was her job to do what he'd been doing all along. "Come, child, and do your real job while I tend to my experiments." Footsteps became louder and Saoirse waved her hand for both of them to hide as quickly as possible. She moved back, forcing them to also step back and hide against the wall as she stood in front of them. A shaded figure in a cloak, much like the one Al had first seen Saoirse in, quickly walked past her without so much as a glance to her. The brunette kept her head bowed as he passed until he had disappeared from the light of the room he had come out in.

After he had passed she turned to the both of them, giving them a stern look as she swiped her hand to follow. Quickly the three slipped into the lit room, though Ed and Al almost tripped not knowing that they were going down a stair well. That managed to get a little emotion out of Saoirse for once and she snorted, bowing her head to keep herself from laughing out loud. Soon enough, she composed herself again and walked down the stairwell and spoke very quietly to them.

"Alright, the reason why I didn't want to talk to you guys before was because I didn't know exactly where my mentor was, and I didn't want him to overhear our conversations," She explained and threw both of the Elric brothers a nasty glare from over her shoulder. "It was already bad enough you guys were babbling your damned mouths off."

"Sorry," They muttered in unison in a way as though they were used to it. Saoirse raised an eyebrow at them and shook her head, chuckling and muttering something to herself.

It didn't take long for them to approach the end of the stairwell and at a single wood door. They entered and then had to go through another series of tunnels, so they continued talking and this time Saoirse actually responded. Though, that doesn't mean she answered any questions. Not clearly, at least.

"So, why are you after the Philosopher's Stone?" That was the first thing Ed asked, a tilt of his head as he eyed her a bit suspiciously. For a while she didn't answer, as though she actually had to think why she was trying to create the Philosopher's Stone.

"Because my mentor wants the Philosopher's Stone." Saoirse finally answered. Even Al knew that was half a lie. Sure, maybe her mentor wanted the stone, but why did she help him?

"Then why does he want it?" Al asked without thinking first. Once again it took her a while to answer, she looked up as though the sky was speaking to her and then she huffed and shrugged her shoulders.

"Dunno,"

That wasn't a lie. Now there was definitely something fishy. About the both of them. Why would someone work to gain something for another while not knowing their motives?

"All I know is that he intends to use the Philosopher's Stone to return something very crucial to my life as a reward for my assistance." Her explanation was a bit vague, and she was very serious in her tone. Actually, everything was really serious then. That is until Ed came really close behind her with a cheeky grin.

"And that crucial thing would be?" The blond asked in a tempted way. Al sighed and shook his head. Why couldn't he get the message that she wasn't going to tell?

"I'm not gonna tell you," Saoirse stated stubbornly, taking on a personal note and turned around, throwing her arm up to guard herself, both physically and mentally. Silence fell over all three of them, and Saoirse quickly turned away, rubbing her arm and walking on. Edward just shook his head and followed, and the silence was only broken by the three teenagers' footsteps.

"What if he betrays you and turns out he's been using you this whole time? What then?" Ed asked, very serious this time. Saoirse didn't answer, she just kept walking on.

* * *

"Alright, this is the room where we research the stone. Feel free to look at stuff, I'll be decrypting those stupid things." Saoirse waved the brothers off and moved over to a small desk against one of the eight walls of the octagonal room. All throughout the room there were many different alchemy circles all over the walls and the floors, some were basic circles and others were those that the mentor and student managed to decrypt and draw out the circles within hidden formulas. Saoirse wasn't all that pro with alchemy, sure she knew enough to enhance her weapons enough to maneuver around during a fight. She was better at strategy and informational stuff. She was and wasn't proud of it. Yeah, the girl wanted to do more with her alchemy, but who could blame her, she barely remembered alchemy from her past. Other than her natural given talent for analyzing and decrypting, most of the stuff she knew came from her mentor.

What if Ed was right, though? About her mentor using her. It didn't matter, at least not at first thought, it was to her mind that she and this mentor had no connection at all. So, if anything like that were to happen, she'd get rid of him and move on. Though, in the back of her mind, she knew it wasn't that simple. Then again, she was wholly convinced that her mentor would give fair payment like he promised. It's only the rule that every alchemist would live by. Equivalent exchange. The basic that Saoirse knew all too well.

Saoirse moved quietly to the desk and pulled over the books and journals she had retrieved while the brothers did whatever they wanted with the several book shelves along the octagonal walls and the circles drawn in black paint. She was kinda glad she was late, since she didn't have to do any much work as she would've. Yay. Saoirse was never a fan of homework.

While she had done that, the brothers were looking through the very limited amount of books, logs, journals, and notes. Some they were already familiar with, others were gateways to new information. For a good hour they had complete secrecy as all three of them worked in on the books about the fabled stone. For some reason, it felt really natural to Saoirse.

"Saoirse, you might want to come look at-" Ed's voice was cut off by someone else's, as Saoirse had turned to look at the brothers who looked through several familiar looking journals.

"Saoirse?" The voice of her mentor rang out in a clear echo and quickly she shoved herself out of the desk seat and shooed the others to a hiding spot. Little had she known that her mentor was standing in the lit doorway to the end of the tunnels that led to the study. "Who are these people? Why are they here?" Saoirse's blood went completely cold and she turned around. Her mentor stood, still cloaked in black, though she could clearly see hawk-like eyes glaring at her. Her gloved hand twitched and moved slowly over her dagger.

"T-They…" Saoirse stuttered and moved over to stand in front of where they stood, standing her ground. "They're looking for the Philosopher's Stone, so I thought they could help." She only half lied. Sure, they might be able to help, but that wasn't the only reason why she had allowed the Elric Brothers to follow her.

"Who are they?!" The old voice snapped, causing the brunette to visibly flinch and step back. Her body tensed and she grabbed her dagger, but hesitated to strike. Something was wrong here.

"Th-They work under the Military. One of them is a State Alchemist." Saoirse managed to blurt out of panic. What else was she going to say? They were her friends? Ha! The girl hated making connections.

"What?" The man shouted and then went into a fit of violent coughs, he drew a gloved hand to his hidden face and doubled over. Blood dropped from what Saoirse guessed was his mouth and after a little while, her mentor had managed to stand up again. "No, they've seen too much. You fool of a girl." He said and pointed at the brothers. "Kill them. Now."

Saoirse's eyes widened and she hesitated, her left hand now grabbing the hilt of her short sword. Out of all the commands her mentor had ever given her, he had never asked her to kill someone. Why now?

"Don't listen to him, Saoirse!" Al called from behind her. Quickly she turned her head to look at them. Why was she so hesitant to go against the one who had taken care of her for the last year and half? "He's using you, we read it in his logs!" The armored boy exclaimed.

"What?"

"Don't listen to them, Saoirse! They're Military dogs, they deceive everyone." Her mentor shouted at her with a swipe of his arm.

"He's using you, Saoirse, we read it right here," Ed called and tossed over one of the journals he held. Saoirse caught it in one movement and looked at the tattered old thing. What was one of her mentor's journals doing in here? Saoirse passed a hand over the leather cover and her fingers curled under the first page.

"Don't do it, Saoirse!"

Everything around her blurred out as she opened the page and skimmed through the log that the boys had bookmarked for her. Her hands began to shake and she had to read over it again and again to get the message clear. _Fulfilled her use…Kill her…Stupid child…Fool's Game…_

Why? Why couldn't anyone keep their promises? Saoirse's dark gaze lifted to glare at her cloaked mentor. She shook her head and threw the book at him in a slight rage. "Is that true? This is all but a Fool's Game?" She snarled, though despite her tone she still trembled with disbelief, wanting so badly for that journal to be a fake. It had to be a fake. This was her only way of recovering those lost memories.

"You're a fool of a girl, Ms. Alwood." Her former mentor had dropped the weak act and sounded that much darker. "Of course, it's true! Even if it weren't, your memories are about the equivalent of a soul, and we both know not even the Philosopher's Stone can bring a soul into this world. So, why would it be different for memories?"

"Shut up! You're lying!"

"You've been led down a dark tunnel by hand in hopes of light at the end, when really there is none. Like I said, you're nothing but a foolish child!" The cloaked man had walked closer to her and stood in front of the short teen, staring down at her from his hood. Saoirse didn't say anything, instead she threw her right fist at him, but he had the wits quick enough to catch her. He spun her around to lock her arm in a painful position, and her whole body focused on retrieving her arm from the tight grip he had on her. He was a lot stronger than she had expected. Actually, he was way stronger than she expected. She realized this when she felt like her arm was slowly breaking in his grip.

"Let." Saoirse hissed and tried to wriggle herself out of this met. "Go!" Ultimately, she failed when her legs gave out and she nearly slipped if it had not been for her mentor's hold on her that jerked her back up to a weak standing position. _Wait._ Her mind went on pause to analyze her situation. She was just reminded of the xiphos sword on her back. With a quick motion she swung her left arm over her shoulder and retrieved her blade. The only difficulty she had was ripping the leather hold around the hilt that angled to her right. Luckily, she was ambidextrous, so she had no faltering motions as she swung her blade over, aiming to meet with her mentor's shoulder.

Instead, the old man deflected the attack and in the process lost his cloak. Behind the cloak, while this man was old, he was very well-built. Of course, Saoirse could only imagine since he also taught her a handful of the combat she knew that adapted to her alchemy, but she didn't expect this. What kind of training did this guy do? Frozen in shock, she didn't realize his actions as he crossed on foot over her leg and made her fall forward onto his knee that jarred her square in the chest, knocking out her breath and her consciousness.

* * *

Ed watched in a bit of a frozen shock as Saoirse was kneed in the chest, rising in the air just a bit for the well-muscled, old man to swipe his arm under her as she fell. For a moment, he had to wait to see if she would get back up, but her gasp of air, the closing of those dark eyes, and the clang of metal as her sword fell from her hand and onto the stone ground confirmed that she was far from being able to throw a counter attack. That's where he came in. Quickly, Ed clapped his hands together and placed them both on the ground. With a flash of blue light, The stone beneath the old man began to transform, but before he could be effected, he quickly moved out-of-the-way and the wave of earthly spikes met with the wall. Though, seeming level-headed, the old man couldn't keep the look of surprise off his face.

"Preforming alchemy without a cycle? You're still just a child!" He gawked before moving Saoirse from under his arm and over his shoulder. "A strange technique, boy. I take it with that talent; you're the State Alchemist and not the boy in the armor."

Ed's jaw clenched. "Why, is it because he's taller than me?" He grumbled, rolling his eyes and then standing up to recover his composure. "Look, I don't know what exactly you mean with all these memories, but we can't let you get away with stealing classified Military research, and I have the morals enough to know that using a girl the way you did is wrong. Don't think I won't fight you."

The old man just laughed at him. "I don't think you will, especially when I have this child within my killing reach, and don't think I won't." He glanced at the unconscious girl over his shoulder.

"Brother, we shouldn't risk it." Al warned before Ed could do anything. Neither brother doubted that this man wasn't joking when he said he would kill Saoirse. The older of the two groaned and stood back, glaring at the old man as he smirked.

"Smart brother," He nodded curtly before running out the doorway to the stairwell. Ed and Al watched, unmoving as he left with this newly acquainted girl slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Ed groaned and turned to face his brother, needing his advice at the moment.

"Well, what do we do now?" He asked in an aggravated tone."We need to plan a way to make sure he doesn't hurt Saoirse," Al replied and sat cross-legged, his armor creating a subtle rustle as he moved. "After we get her, we can report our findings to Colonel Mustang." He suggested and looked up at his brother, who deadpanned at the mention of his higher-up. "Yeah, sure, that's a start. Question is," Ed looked toward the way that this mentor exited. "How do we get her back safely?" Both brothers thought on it. It was clear this man had every intention of threatening Saoirse's life. It's not like he cared about her or anything. He used her, in fact. "This…" Ed began again and picked up the journal, reading the name printed on the first page. "Devin Keller?" He stated with a question. "He said he had experiments. I wonder what experiments he has exactly…"

* * *

Saoirse, lost in her subconscious, cursed herself for being so stupid. Why had she grown so attached to the thought of having her memories back? Why had she trusted this man? _Damn_, she thought. _This really is a Fool's Game._

* * *

**A/N: **Eeehh, the last few parts of this chapter weren't so up to par. Anyway, a bit of a favor ya'll guys could do, give me any pointers if you think that Saoirse is getting Mary-sue-ish. I'm trying to refrain from it, but ya' know; wondering fingers. That sounded…wrong.

Alright, now that that's settled, leave a review, they're much appreciated! I'm so depressed because I have none yet! Ah, well. Feel free to favorite and follow this story, as well! Thank you so much for any feedback you can give!

Short Outro! Woo!

Ciao!

~DreamColors


	4. Along for the Ride!

**Chapter Three**

**Along for the Ride!**

Saoirse woke up to a strange feeling. She was sitting up, though slumped over, and…curiously her hands were behind her back, bound in chains that tied around a bar that made up a sewer shaft on the ground. Cross legged and slumped over, dark eyes fluttered open to see that both her weapons had been taken from her, including the leather belts that holstered them. It took the brunette a little while to reclaim the memories of what had happened not too long ago. The events of meeting Edward and Alphonse Elric, then finding out her once very close mentor was using her, and all the way towards the part where she was knocked out cold by a strong strike from behind. Now here she was, chained up in the center of a room. Dully, while recuperating, her eyes traced the engravings in the stone floor around her, connecting the dots very slowly. Her body tensed in realization and emotions overwhelmed the teenager. She was sitting in the middle of a transmutation circle in the room where her former mentor had kept his _experiments._

"Awake now, are we?" A familiar rusty voice called over. Anger filled pupils darted across the room to meet the beady eyed gaze of her former mentor, Devin Keller, who grinned down at her. "Since you've run out on your usefulness on your own, I'll use you in a way to benefit another branch of my research." At that, the noises of many deranged creatures worsened and grew louder. Saoirse flinched and her fists clenched.

"So even to my death, you use me. What? You run out of squirrels for your failed mutations?" She snarled, a dangerous glint in her eyes as she tried to reach out toward her foe, restricted by those infernal chains. At a moment she could expect, a hand struck out at her face and slapped her, causing her head to go one way and drop.

"My creations are not failures!" Devin snapped at her. "You foolish child! You know nothing!"

"You know what?" Saoirse grumbled in a dark tone and glared at the man through her mess of hair. She spat in his face, causing him to jerk back. "Screw you! You promised to bring back my memories once I got the Philosopher's Stone for you. You lying bastard!" Her tone wasn't all that playful or mischievous. It was full of rage. Saoirse wasn't one to really like it when people lied and broke their promises. It was one of the morals she followed strongly.

Saoirse's former mentor wiped her spit from his face and scowled at her, walking back towards a cage and placing his hand on its surface. He laughed at her and shook his head. "I've had enough of your wit." He growled and proceeded to move his hand over a lever. Saoirse tensed, and her only solution was to analyze the room and try to find her weapons. Didn't take long for her to realize that she had dropped her sword and the only thing she would have left is her dagger and that would be located to the far left corner of the square-shaped room. If anything, she'd have to be patient until something unexpected happened and while she was good at that, she lacked very little time to be patient with. All it would take is a few seconds for the beast behind the cage to tear to her pieces, and that was a flaw in precise strategizing. This was her gift and her curse.

"Wait!" Saoirse's voice cracked as she sobbed. "Please, don't kill me! I've spoken out of term and I'm sorry! Please, I'm begging you!" Her only solution was to grovel and beg for more time. She hated reducing to such a low-level. Especially to lying scum like him. "You can't kill me! I'm not even sixteen yet! Please!"

"Shut up. Nothing can change the fact that rage burns inside you. You're a liability, one that will want revenge." The old man said matter-of-factly. Saoirse gnashed her teeth and glared at him. "It doesn't take a fine analyst like you to figure out that you're lying."

His hand moved to grip the lever and pull it back at the opening shaft of the cage began to lift up. Animal eyes, adapted to the dark, stared hungrily over at Saoirse and she stared right back. It was always her will to stare death in the face. Though, this was an inconvenience, but maybe her memories would return in the afterlife. "Saoirse!" However, death can wait. Dark eyes shot up to glance at two shaded figures in the lit doorway. One tall and sharp-edged, the other just a little taller than herself. There was a glint of silver and the brunette watched as her sword flew into the air and fell with an alarming clang of metal on the stone floor behind her. The corners of her mouth turned up just a little. Now things were a bit more convenient.

"What the-?" Devin turned quickly, though, not quick enough. Ed clapped his hands together and knelt to the ground, placing both gloved hands on the stone. Saoirse's dark eyes grew wide when the blond preformed alchemy without a circle. It was to her understanding that was impossible! Her gaze snapped back to the snarl that came from the dark cage and as quick as she could, she moved over ad back for the spikes protruding from the ground to catch her chains. The expansion to its capacity broke the chains off and Saoirse quickly back rolled out of harm's way and retrieved her blade. When she looked up, it seemed everything now connected. Causes and effects.

Devin's eyes moved over to glance at his free pupil and he snarled at the two boys. Meanwhile, Saoirse had to duck as a creature that looked half-dog, half-some-kind-of-feline swing its paw at her. With this moment she swung her blade to slash its bared chest and she had to resist the urge to cringe at the blood. Her stomach seemed to feel uneasy when she rose and the creature fell before her in a pool of its own blood. Normally she'd use paint, but blood would do. Before she proceeded with her plan, Saoirse glanced up to make sure Devin Keller was stalled, and sure enough, the Elric brothers were keeping the old man from the rest of his experiments. Though she knew it wouldn't last long.

Devin had transmuted a pillar from the ground and it aimed diagonally at Alphonse. Saoirse was getting ready to run over there and shove the armored boy out-of-the-way, but she was too late. Her eyes widened when Al was hit and pushed back, his helmet flying elsewhere from his body. Or at least, she thought there was a body. There was no head. There was no body. In that moment her body froze over and she watched Alphonse's armor body rise and pick up with helmet, placing it back where his head should be. Devin looked about as scared as Saoirse felt.

"He has no body! He's a soul bound to an inanimate object!" Devin exclaimed. Saoirse knew he'd take this time either to gawk that the tin-man, or to trigger the rest of the cages. She couldn't take her chances and she'd leave the gawking and questioning for later.

The adolescent dipped her hand in the thick, scarlet liquid and knelt down to draw a simple transmutation circle. She moved to stand over the circle, pictured the precise strategic plan it would take to get out of this mess, and then channeled that image into her alchemy and closed her eyes. She heard a rusty movement and the familiar clank of steel against steel and figured that Devin triggered the level that released all the chimeras he held captive. Stone shout out from under her and she kicked off the pillar that rose diagonally from the ground. She landed in a wide-spread crouch on an engraved circle on the wall and opened her eyes. Once again, transmuted stone kicked her off the wall and over to the left corner of the room. She knocked a snake-like chimera to the side and retrieved both holsters and slipped them on in fluid movements with enough time to dodge the next attack thrown her way by a chimera.

The brunette spotted a good five chimeras, some were already decomposing in their failed bodies. She couldn't spot Devin Keller, though. "Edward!" Saoirse called over to the blond who stood close to his brother, facing the chimera that approached them. "Help me get Keller and I'll tell you everything I know. Sound like a fair deal?" She asked with a teasing voice that she couldn't resist letting out. Edward cast a smirk her way and nodded. Saoirse chuckled and looked back at the two creatures that cornered her.

She grabbed onto her dagger with her gloved hand and waited for her alchemy to work and make a coiled wire with the metal in the pouch that held her knife, and then flung it to the other side of the room near the floor. She let her body drop the ground and yanked on the coil, causing it to drag her to the other side of the room at a fast pace than running or jumping, during so she swipe her blade at one of the chimera's feet to immobilize it. Midway through the slide, she retracted the chain and spun around in enough time to guard herself from that snake chimera, resulting in its death as it lunged at her blade. Blood dripped down on her cheek and slid down into her mouth. The disgusting taste of iron and reptile grossness overwhelmed her taste buds.

Saoirse used her sword to support herself as she stood up and glanced around the room, re-familiarizing herself with her plan, though things were bound to change. "Ah!" She cried out as a force worth three hundred pounds rammed her into the nearby wall. Disfigured horns dug deep into her leg. The brunette squirmed and bashed at the wolf and bull mixed creature with the base of her sword, her body going into a panic and focused in on the pain in her leg.

"Saoirse!" A familiar voice called over, and dark eyes glanced up enough to see Alphonse running over to her whilst his brother took care of the other remaining chimera. Alphonse shoved the bull-wolf off Saoirse and she slumped to the ground and immediately put pressure over the bleeding wound on her leg. Her plan wasn't going out so smoothly.

* * *

"Well, that takes care of them." Ed muttered, turning his head from the cage that he made for the three remaining chimeras that survived the battle. Al looked over his shoulder towards were he left the brunette. Both brothers rushed over to her side as she struggled with her wound that left a bloody mess on her leg. "We need to get you to a hospital."

"No!" Saoirse snapped and began unwrapping a part of the gauze on her right arm. She ripped off enough to leave most of the gauze on her arm, but a fine pink line showed up barely, near her wrist. She began to wrap her wound in the gauze and tied it as tight as she could before slipping off the belt over her chest and tying that tight over the wrap. "I have to go after him. Don't think you can stop me,"

Ed gawked at her as she struggled to stand up, using her sword and once she got a good footing, she jerked it out of the cement and spun it around to slide into the belt holster around her waist. It didn't hold as firmly as it would in its correct holster, but it stayed put. She staggered forward and then ended up having to lean on her good leg and then wince at the other. "Crap," The teen hissed and glared up at Ed, looking as though she was expecting something.

"What?"

"You gonna help me find Keller or not? Don't forget that I'm still in possession of all those notes and I can easily burn it without letting you get so much as a glance at that research." She said in a formal matter and smirked up at him. Was she really using him that way? Didn't she need those notes too? Ed groaned and shook his head. Why was it always him in these situations?

"It's stupid, but I'll help you." Both AL and Saoirse seemed surprised by his agreement, but sure enough, he propped her up on his shoulder and walked with her outside the room and down the hall. Al followed closely.

"So, how do you use your alchemy, if you don't mind me asking?" Alphonse asked, looking over at the girl and she looked up with a chuckle.

"No, I don't mind." Saoirse muttered before continuing. "I'm a strategist, so I use my alchemy as a sort of blueprint to base my strategy after. Of course, you can't base everything after perception, so I try to keep an open mind. I'm not all that good at alchemy, so my combat skills and instincts go hand in hand." She explained with a smirk, showing a bit of pride in her work. Ed had to admit, although her alchemy was shotty, she wasn't that bad with her swordsmanship. "My mentor taught me most of my alchemy, but I learned combat from my mother and I also studied some Xingese techniques this past year-and-a-half or so. Of course, there's other independent studies I've done, that's what's been keeping me on my toes."

"How'd you do that thing you did with your knife?"

"Oh, uh, that's where my alchemy gets its input on my weaponing." Saoirse pulled off the pouch that held her knife. "There's a bunch of steel in this pouch, so with the transmutation circle on my glove," She paused to show her gloved left hand. "I use alchemy to attach a thin coil that retracts when I want. Makes for easy transportation. I can also use it as a cable to get a good grip on the thing I'm trying to attack. The transmutation circle on my sword allows me to keep it nice and sharp. Like I said before, I'm not all that good at alchemy. The best I know is physical attributes, chemicals are bit too precise to think of at last-minute." Brown eyes glanced back up at Ed who tuned out a bit to the conversation. "What about you? I saw you use alchemy without a transmutation circle. Plus, I can't help to be curious about your brother."

Ed looked at her and shrugged his shoulders, not really wanting to explain the whole dilemma. "Sorry, can't explain. Complicated State Alchemist stuff." He said teasingly, and the brunette just frowned. During their walk through the tunnels, Saoirse had informed them of an exit that Devin Keller might've taken, and pointed them in that direction. It didn't take all that long to approach the exit and find themselves in a large alleyway. There he was, loading up a truck with several books and journals.

"Devin Keller!" Saoirse snarled and shoved Ed off herself, she drew her blade and stood tall, directing her sword right at the man. Her eyes grew narrow, but she held a half-smile on her face. Keller turned around and his eyes widened with shock and then he gnashed his teeth at the teens. Without saying a word, he opened the door to the truck, and began shoving himself in. Saoirse had already beat him, with a swift movement and in under two seconds, she had thrown her dagger at the door, retracting the long, spring to launch herself there and kicked it closed, jumping down to face the man. Her leg wavered only a bit and drops of blood left her body in large amounts, but she stood her ground and lifted her sword to go to tips with the old man's face. The Elric brothers looked in shock at her speed, she was faster than before.

Devin looked at her with a nervous, determined grin. "You won't kill me." He laughed in her face and reached out to grab her hand. However, she was once against the quickest and managed to swiftly make a thin cut along his arm.

"Killing isn't my thing, but I will put you in the place you deserve." Saoirse said in a smart-alecky tone. "You don't have to fight. Simply surrender and I'll turn you into the police. Though, I won't hesitate to fight you," She spoke very selectively and calmly as Keller winced over his wound. It didn't take long for her former mentor to make up his mind. Ed watched his eyes grow dark and he lunged at the girl in front of him.

"Saoirse!" Al shouted after her, but she saw the attack before any of them and planned ahead. She holstered her sword and quickly evaded the attack, drawing her sword once again and shoving it into the loose cementing of the brick wall behind her. Her transmutation formed a pole-like structure at least twelve feet in the air. She leapt up, jumping on and then off her sword, bringing it with her, and then slowing down her pace just enough when she grabbed onto the pole. She drew her dagger and threw it at Devin's shoulder and it mercilessly dug its way through his bone. Steel wire had followed the daggers trail and latched on, Saoirse leapt down from her perch and Devin went up. She held onto the steel cable to her knife and Devin dangled from the other end.

"We'll, Dev, it seems even in defeat you can still look down on me. How does it feel?" The childish teen asked, reclaiming her playful tone after a long while. Devin Keller cursed down at her but she just laughed. "Don't worry, I'm sure the boys would_ love_ to get you a ride to your new home at the prison!"

Ed was genuinely scared of this side of the girl. Her playful and childish act hid her dark thinking like a cotton veil. Both brothers shuttered at her uncontrollable giggles. "She doesn't even know what this guy's charge will be and she's positive he'll go straight to prison…"

* * *

It took nearly an hour for the Military to show up, and then another to get the questioning straight and to take Devin Keller into custody. It wasn't until maybe five in the morning before Saoirse actually got any type of medical treatment. Well, an overly insisting Military Officer had offered to give her a ride to the nearest hospital, however she wanted to gather her things from the tunnel way after the others had stopped their investigation. She never saw them pull out those three remaining chimeras, though, and she didn't want to start thinking about what they might've done to them. By the time to on-scene medics got to her, she was feeling very faint, probably because her makeshift of a tourniquet didn't work as well as she'd hoped. Now her favorite belt was soaked in blood. Great.

"You're Saoirse Alwood correct?" An officer asked, looking at a paper that she guessed was a report on the situation. Saoirse's eyebrow twitched at the fact the officer pronounced her name wrong. Why did she have so a confusing name?

"Seer-sha…" The young alchemist muttered darkly.

"Seersha? Hmm, okay," The officer began scribbling on the report and then Saoirse had to explain to the poor guy that her name was pronounced entirely different from the way it was spelt. Of course, she didn't lack an irritated and smartass tone. "Oh! Okay, sorry for the inconvenience," _Thank you for calling my name an inconvenience. It really is. _"Anyway, Miss Alwood, it seems you had affiliations with Devin Keller's illegal research and experimenting, correct?"

Saoirse sighed and rolled her shoulders back, tilting her head this way and that to get the cramp out of her neck. "Yes, that is correct, but I had no hand in his experiments. I merely obtained the research notes and books and decrypted most of them to supply him with the required information." She spoke that much of the truth; however, her last comments were lies. "It was against my will. He said once I did what I had to, he'd let me go, but obviously he had other plans."

The officer looked at her for a little while before letting out a breath, giving her a curt nod and a muttered 'thank you for your cooperation,' then leaving the scene to report to his higher-ups. Saoirse was a bit surprised that he didn't do any more questioning than that, though it was a good thing. Thanks to her foreign roots, she had no legal citizenship here! It would be bad if they were to find out. The medic that tended to her wounds returned with the proper antibiotics and the stitches needed to sew up her gash. The woman explained that her wound wasn't all that bad and that it wasn't an open chunk, so it'd be easy to sew it back up and refrain from stressing it. Saoirse was lucky though; had that stupid chimera hit her just a few inches over, it would have severed a main artery.

The stitches were painful, but the brunette didn't mind it. Before the medic left, she asked if she had any extra gauze and the woman actually gave her an entire roll. It would be enough to last her a month or so. Saoirse wrapped the gauze around her thigh, over the stitches, and then used a small portion of it to replace the bandages she was missing from her right arm. After all that had come and gone, Saoirse left herself to her thoughts, thinking back to the soul-bound armor that she saw not long ago. Thinking that also made her wonder where exactly the Elric brothers went after the dilemma within the tunnels.

Saoirse let out a breath and run her hand through her bangs. "Ah, well. I'm bound to run into them somehow."

* * *

Alphonse Elric wondered about the shopping district of Central City, keeping himself busy before he and Ed had to leave for a new assignment. Other than the mix up with Devin Keller and Saoirse, the visit had been fun, really. Visiting the Hughes', seeing the familiar and friendly faces around Central Command, and meeting some new faces as well. This included Saoirse, though none of the brothers had seen the girl since they Military arrived at the scene. Ed was actually kind enough to get Saoirse dismissed from any charges of theft. That was about three days ago. Today they were actually going to leave, or at least later that evening, and Al wanted to get some things before they left.

"Ah!" A man in his mid-twenties maybe flew from an alleyway and into a business cart right in front of all, causing the boy to shout in surprise. The dark haired man looked up with shock and a bit of anger mixed with fear. "You crazy little-!"

"It's what you get for breaking a promise, sir." A girl with olive tanned skin, dark eyes, and a long, dark-brown braid called as she strutted out of the alleyway. Saoirse didn't look all that different, only that a brown, sash-like wrap covered her shorts partly like a short skirt. The skirt also concealed the belt that holstered her dagger, which was also hidden by the brown veil. She also carried a bag slung over her shoulder, probably containing her weapon and personal belongings she retrieved from the tunnels. There was a lively gleam in her brown pupils and she wore a big, cheerful grin. "I expected an even pay and you give me, what? A good sixty-five percent of my real profit? You sure do know how to trick your girls, sir."

Saoirse squatted down to meet eyes with the man she'd managed to somehow fling into a fruit cart. She chuckled in a girly way that wasn't all quite a giggle. Al's head perked up at the convenient appearance. "Saoirse!" He exclaimed and for a moment the brunette looked like she didn't know what to do, her eyes widened with surprise at the familiar voice. Then she turned and her grin grew a bit more genuine.

"Alphonse! Just the tin-can I was looking for!" She said cheerfully and stood straight, walking up to the armored boy who was a good three heads taller than her. "A bit of advice; tavern work is bad business." She muttered darkly and jerked her head at the dazed man still sitting in the rubble of the cart. Al just gave a worried sigh, causing her to give off a childish giggle.

"So, you said you were looking for me?" Al questioned, his voice echoing through his empty armor.

Saoirse had to ponder at his words for a moment before she remembered her own intentions. "Oh right! Um, you and your brother are pretty much traveling around the entire country to find the Little Red Stone, right?" Her tone went quiet at her last mentioning. It took a little while for Al to figure out what she meant by the _'Little Red Stone,'_ but afterwards he nodded. "And you're hollow right?" Al nodded slowly to her question.

"Yeah, it's really hard to explain-"

"I need you to do me a favor."

* * *

Ed sighed, glancing at the train station's clock. Alphonse hadn't returned from his errand run and the train had already arrived. Wouldn't take long before it had to leave and it was the last train to Liore for the next couple of days. The blonde's mind wondered off elsewhere and dazed some. He was actually kinda tired, even though he slept most of the day away. Ah, well. It would serve him right on the train ride.

"Brother!" Ed looked over his shoulder to see Al running over to him in a jogging pace. The eldest of the two smiled and waved him over, snatching his tickets from his pocket and handing one to his brother as he approached. "Sorry it took me a while, I ran into someone down by the markets."

Ed's brow rose in question. "Oh, yeah? Who?" He inquired as the two walked down the train station to their assigned car. Al waved away his question.

"Oh, no one special!" He said and shrugged his shoulders.

Hm. Well, that was strange, though Ed had seen and heard stranger. The two boarded the train and found an empty space. Ed sat on one side, close to the window, and Al sat across from him. About five minutes later the train took off, which started a subtle conversation between the brothers. They exchanged their thoughts on their recent findings and what they might find in Liore. Ed was getting real tired of these damn trains. They weren't the best for ones back, that was for sure.

"_Hicu!"_ A sneeze echoed from Al's armor, and there was no way that sneeze belonged to the boy. It was too female. Ed's eyes narrowed and he stared at Al accusingly as he tried to make up for the cough.

"Al…what's in your armor?"

* * *

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Ed hissed at the 5'1" girl that sat next to Al and smiled a guilty smile. It took a while for Al to confess and then another moment for Al to convince the girl stowing away inside his armor to get out, insisting that it was creepy. Now, here she sat, bag and all, smuggled into the train like an illegal alien of some sort. "Did you use my brother to smuggle yourself into the train?"

Saoirse just giggled nervously and played with her long braid. "Oh, ya' know, I'm just along for the ride..."

* * *

**A/N:** I love that ending. It's just so…Saoirse. xD She'd smuggle herself into a train from some poor boy's hollow armor just to save a buck or two. Ah, I love it! So, in case you didn't quite catch her drift, she's going to be tagging along with the esteemed Elric Brothers because she's looking for the same thing they are. And so our journey unfolds! Guess what? I updated two days in a row!

*Hit with an unfinished and dusty book.* What's this…Oh…

Right, I need to catch up with my other fan fic, it's just that…yeah. Summer stuff. Anyway! Next chapter will be a somewhat filler, you'll get to know Saoirse's history a bit more, or at least what she remembers. It's just something to pass time as they go on the train ride to Liore. Hope you guys like this so far and I hope you like Saoirse. Don't forget to review, I'll try to reply as soon as I can! Feel free to drop a favorite and a follow, as well. All are appreciated and go towards the completion of TOF...

Hmm, TOF...I like it...

Now excuse me as I make up for not updating my other fic before my responcibility and maybe some fans eat me alive and leave some bits of my body to decompose and rott! Ew...

Ciao!

~DreamColors


	5. Memories

**A/N: **Hey, guys! Little note here, just so you guys know. The italicized parts of this chapter, and probably any other chapter in this fic, are memories. Thanks for reading and I hope you lot enjoy!

**Chapter Four**

**What Little Memory…**

_A young girl sat on the slanted roof of her home, her small bare feet fiddled with each other and she sat with her thighs against her chest, arms wrapped around her legs, and head resting on her knees. The girl was maybe ten-years-old. Give or take a year. A thin braid trekked down her back and ended in a paint-brush-like shape just above her rear. She watched the sun paint the sky orange, red, purple, and blue, delight in her dark brown eyes. The young girl wore a black tube-top and a long, layered, brown skirt decorated with several green, white, brown and black fabric flowers and vines, her feet were bare and the lower parts of her legs and arms were covered in bandages. _

"_Saoirse! Where are you, silly girl?" A woman called from inside the house. Young Saoirse giggled mischievously and glanced around to make sure the owner of that voice wouldn't find her before giggling even more. It didn't take long for a brown scarf to wrap around and snatch up the girl as a middle-aged woman appeared behind her. "Found you, missy! Now, you wouldn't happen to know what happened to Antie Lee's missing knives, hmm?" She asked teasingly. The woman had short, sharp cut brown hair and a sharp, yet sweet face. She wore a black tank and knee-high shorts with smithing boots and gloves. Saoirse laughed and grabbed onto the wide scarf, laying her head on it. _

"_Soft!" Saoirse whispered and turned around to face the woman. She smiled sheepishly at her mother's claim concerning the missing knives. "I didn't do it! I swear!" Said the girl a bit too guiltily. Abbey shook her head and unwrapped her daughter from her cherished scarf/wrap and wrapped it around her neck, the wide fabric covering her mouth somewhat. _

"_Alright, kiddo, hand over the loot," The mother said sternly, though she winked a playful wink. Saoirse huffed and moved her hand behind her. She slipped out the three throwing knives from the back of her skirt and placed them into Abbey's expecting hand. Abbey smirked and hit Saoirse lightly over the head with the unique hilts. "Pop quiz: What's the official name for these types of knives and where do they come from?" She inquired, rising a brow at her daughter._

_Saoirse's head popped up and a light went off in her head. "They're called kunai and originate in Xing. The steel is colored black so it's unseen when used in battle by the shadowy warriors." She quipped with a smirk similar to her mothers, her tone smart-alecky and high-pitched. _

_Abbey nodded. "Good, and just for that little extra bit of information that I didn't even teach you, I guess we can go to that bonfire tomorrow night," She said with a roll of her eyes, acting as though she really didn't want to. Saoirse's face brightened, but her mother continued before she could call out any happy words. "But I want you to dance with Hal and Lira. Got it?" _

_Saoirse looked as though she was about to protest, but nodded firmly with a sigh. "Fine. I guess. I'm no good, though." She pouted and crossed her arms. Abbey gave a weary smile and shook her head, she invited her daughter in and the two retreated back into their house. Saoirse jumped from the upstairs window and into her room. Abbey gave her information that dinner was almost ready before leaving her room and going down stairs. Saoirse's dark eyes glanced over from her own bed, messy and made a nest with the several pillows and couple stuffed animals, several books scattered along its surface as well as the wooden short-sword she made herself. Then she scanned over the room to the other side where a nice, tidy bed stood with a wooden long-sword leaned against the foot of the bed. _

_The door across the room creaked open and a booted foot stepped into the room._

Saoirse woke with a jolt, her memories retreating back to the dark places whence they came. The brunette frowned. It was better than waking up, screaming at a nightmare she couldn't quite remember. This dream was peaceful, thank whoever the hell she had to thank. It was an incomplete memory, though, and, much like her night terrors, it left an empty feeling in her conscious mind. Saoirse sighed and slumped back in her uncomfortable seat, her body just a little less tense than it was before. Her mind trekked back to her situation and she recalled her little talk with the blond Alchemist.

"_Whaddya mean 'along for the ride?!' You're not coming with us, are you?" Edward snapped at the girl, who just gathered her legs and pressed them against herself as she rested her head on her knees. Al was a bit speechless in the argument, but he mumbled subtle warnings to his brother._

"_Well, you see," Saoirse began explaining and put her legs down, crossing them over one another and propped her elbow on the small ledge of the window, supporting her head with her fist. She smirked and continued. "It was clear you guys are trying to find the Philosopher's Stone, and since we both have a common goal, I figured I'd tag along."_

_Ed ground his teeth together, jaw clenched as he spoke. "And it didn't cross your mind to discuss this with us first?" He hissed. Saoirse didn't really acknowledge his question, though she did give off a scoff._

"_You've no choice but to let me join you, sir. I promised myself I'd find the Philosopher's Stone to retrieve my memories no matter what and I'm doing just exactly that. When I make a promise, there's no stopping me from sticking to it." The young alchemist explained smugly. Edward was about to lunge at the girl, but Al managed to keep him back verbally and physically. "In exchange for letting me tag along, I'll offer you protection and my intelligence." Her eyes narrowed darkly and she muttered her last statement. "I don't intend to lose my one tool to get the Philosopher's Stone, anyway…" _

_Ed sighed and he didn't say anything, it was clear the boy didn't want anything to do with Saoirse. Even though there was no harm in letting her join, since she was perfectly capable of handling herself, he couldn't agree with this. Ed began to stand up to call for an attendant. "Sorry, but I can't let you tag along," He said, moving over to step into the walkway, though something stopped him. Saoirse had kicked her bare foot up to hit Ed squarely in the chest and shove him back down on his seat._

"_Ah, no." She cooed with a smirk. "You wouldn't want to get in trouble for smuggling a possible illegal onto the train, would you?" The girl threatened and retracted her leg before Ed could swat her foot away. Saoirse looked out the window and sighed, her smirk disappearing. "Please, let me come with you. I really have no other leads on how to get my memory back. Hell, there's barely any chance the stone could help, but it's better than waiting for the past to slowly catch up with you. I promise I can handle myself, I just need to leech of your military given information and…if you get it, then I only need one favor of you." _

_Silence arose in the atmosphere; both teens were tense and waiting for an indication. "Brother…" Al murmured and looked up. "We should let her come with us. I've been thinking about it a lot, and it wouldn't hurt, would it? I know we don't always have others with us, but she needs help." He explained sincerely. Saoirse stared at him, her eyes a bit wide. She was so used to helping others for a price, and people helping her for a price. _

_Ed rolled his eyes and groaned, passing a hand over his face. "Fine…"_

After that had gone done, after a bit of discussing rules and conditions, Saoirse had drifted off while the two had discussed their own matters. Now, here she was, awake and still on an uncomfortable train. Dark eyes watching the scenes of the lush part of the east go by. Eastern Amestris was rather dry and the further east you'd go, the more dry it'd get, especially when you'd reach the desert that kept Xing and Amestris at a decent distance away from each other. Fortunately, Lior was in a lush area in the northeastern region of Amestris where it wasn't too dry or hot. Saoirse wasn't much of a fan of the heat, though she didn't mind cold.

"So, this Lior town, what's wrong with it?" Saoirse asked, glancing over at the Elric brothers who were apparently wide awake.

"Nothing really. There's a rumor going around about a priest of Leto there that can 'perform miracles.'" Al began. "It's said that he can transmute flowers and stuff like that out of thin air!" He sounded pretty intrigued with the information and the more Saoirse listened, the more intrigued _she_ was. She arched a brow in question.

"Really?" The brunette breathed.

"Yeah," An irritated Edward answered. "It's probably just a trick of the hand or something like that."

"But what if it isn't?" Both Saoirse and Alphonse inquired, not really minding that the two had spoken in unison. A smirk formed on Ed's face and there was a determined look on his face.

"Then if that's the case, it has to be the Stone."

Silence fell over the three for a long time, Saoirse had averted her gaze to her knees. That information alone made her chest tighten. It felt almost too easy. The possibility of finding the Philosopher's Stone. No research, no transmutations. Just confirming the object and taking it. Saoirse expected long nights of research, interrogations, hidden tombs. Okay- maybe the tombs were a bit overboard, but still. She expected more of a challenge. The brunette sighed and rolled her shoulders back. No, she shouldn't be too hopeful. She shouldn't cling to a fairy-tale for too long.

"So, what does the Stone mean to you? Don't tell me you're after it just because of the Military's orders." Saoirse looked up to stare questioning eyes at the Fullmetal Alchemist. He just cast a side glance and sighed.

"No, it's not Military stuff, you're right. I really don't want to talk about it," Ed said stubbornly. "You want your memory back, right? What's the story about that?"

Saoirse deadpanned. Does he really expect me to tell my story and not receive a story in return? "Well, since I'm not a stubborn ass, I'll tell you," She hissed, directed over at the short blond across from her. Then she collected herself before explaining to the two of them. "Two years back something bad happened and my mother and stepfather were killed in the process, my house in East City was also burned to the ground. Somehow I survived and when I woke up, I had lost the majority of my memory and it has since then never came back. Sometimes I feel like I'm losing what I have left bit by bit." Saoirse explained, her body tensing at her last statement. She'd always thought of it, but never admitted it to herself. She could barely remember what her cousins looked like, when only a year ago she knew quite well. Luckily, only then it was just the little stuff like that.

"What do you remember?" Al asked gently, careful with his words. It seemed her pain was a bit too visible. In reaction to this, Saoirse responded with a look of humored concentration. She huffed.

"Good memories, which is good. But it's very little, mostly with my mother." She chuckled. "Though," Her voice was still cheery, but held an atmosphere of worry. "If the happy memories are so little, then the rest of it might be bad…"

Saoirse grimaced and turned her head to look out the window again. "I lost a little bit of my memory when I lost my body…So, I can see where you're coming from, Saoirse. Who knows, maybe your memory loss isn't just regular amnesia. It might be in the same place my body is." Al encouraged, causing the corners of Saoirse's mouth to lift up genuinely. She didn't even bother to ask about Al's body, either. Her mind drifted off to other things.

"_Hal!" Little Saoirse called as she ran through the forest, not minding the branches that scrapped her feet and legs, or the mud that dirtied her bandage covered feet. "Hally, wait up!" She laughed and nearly tripped over a branch. The girl stumbled to get her footing back and stand up straight. She looked around herself, her eyes a bit wide and confused. She'd never been in this part of the forest since their stay in the area. _

_Saoirse was getting scared; she could no longer hear her cousin's laughter in the muggy western air. Her curiosity began to get the best of her and her fear left her as she walked on to wonder about the forest. The young girl pushed through the brush to find several different plants and flowers. It didn't take long for her to find lavender, her favorite bloom. She picked some of the herb and stuck it in her hair, lacing it into her braid and placing it between her right ear. The brunette continued to walk about, touching the various plants and trees, careful not to get too close to poison ivy or poison oak. _

"_Eek!" She squealed as a squirrel passed by her, her body flinched and cringed back. The creature scurried up a tree, and Saoirse had just leered at the thing in its perch on a branch. "Stupid squirrels…I don't care what Lira and Hal say, they're terrifying." She hissed and stuck her tongue out at the squirrel before moving on. It was true. Ever since she could remember, squirrels were like the Devil's personal pets. She very much preferred snakes. Snakes were graceful, beautiful creatures. _

_Saoirse continued on throughout the forest, humming to herself one of the songs that Hal's mother had performed at the bonfire from the night before. She grabbed a stick about three-fourths her size and used it as a hiking stick as she strolled through. The girl peered through some bushes, brown eyes full of wonder as her gaze landed on a back of wolves over the hill quite a few ways away. Dark-furred pups rolled on the grass and wrestled each other and their elder stayed at a protective distance. Before thinking about it, Saoirse lifted her head and let out an imitation of a howl, causing each of the beasts' heads to perk up, staring in her direction._

_A jerking motion interrupted her call and pulled her back into the clearing and into the secrecy of the shadows. Saoirse turned to face her older cousin, Hally, who had pulled her out of her trance. Hal was three years older than Saoirse with long, curly blond hair and grey eyes. She wasn't as tan as Saoirse was, but she was a hell of a lot taller. Hal wore a blue dress and brown sandals, her overly curly hair hung loose to meet her shoulder blades. _

"_Saoirse, what are you doing? Are you crazy?" Hal hissed at her friend. Saoirse didn't mind the sharp tone, and instead of replying she looked over the hedge to stare at the pack once again. One of the larger wolves, a dark, brown-colored brute, still stared her direction before throwing his head back and casting his voice into the sky. The whole pack joined his howl and if Hal hadn't held her back, Saoirse would have thrown her head back and continued the howl. The vibrate sound echoed throughout the area and their tune had ended, the wolves ran behind the hill and disappeared. Saoirse's smile widened and she was about to creep further just for another peak before Hal pulled her back again._

"_Why'd you do that?" Hally pressed, her brow furrowed in frustration towards her younger friend. Saoirse's lips turned up in a smirk and she shrugged, prancing off._

"_I dunno. Something mom said. She said that if you howl and a wolf howls back, it's good luck," The brunette hummed to her close friend. So close, that they considered each other cousins._

_Hal just shook her head at the girl with a weary smile. "Mama was right. You are a wild child like Auntie." _

_A wild child, huh?_ Saoirse thought and chuckled. Her mother was known for always getting into trouble, even for a gypsy child. Saoirse was exactly the same. She remembered back in her days, traveling with the caravans. Several times mom had tried to settle down in one place. She almost did in an old house they found, actually, but she continued with the caravan. Then she met her husband, Saoirse's stepfather, and eventually settled in East City of all places. Generally, the gypsies stayed to the west, along the border of Creta. Saoirse wondered if they were still in the place they last stayed. The gypsies stayed in one place for a little over than a year, setting some sort of base camp and living there for a while until they became a burden.

Saoirse actually liked traveling a lot, though it was normally traveling in the back of a wagon that was, surprisingly, more comfortable than being here in this damned train seat. She groaned and cast a long look over at the scenery. It was getting to be night. "How long?" She asked without even thinking of it. The only one awake was Alphonse. Edward had drifted to his subconscious sometime while the brunette was daydreaming.

"Hmm?" Alphonse seemed surprised. He probably didn't notice that she was even awake this whole time, discarding any conversation between the Elrics. "Oh. Uh, not long if I remember what Ed said." He informed and looked at her. "Were you awake this whole time?"

Saoirse shrugged, a dull expression on her face. "I dunno. More or less, I guess." She laughed at herself. "That rhymed." The girl said a bit playfully and continued chuckling silently to herself.

"You were daydreaming, huh?" Al asked kindly. Saoirse smiled in response before speaking.

"Yeah. Well…remembering more than daydreaming, I guess," She said sleepily and yawned. The day was starting to get to her.

"What were you remembering?"

"Oh, nothing really. One time my cousin and I were playing tag in a nearby forest and I may or may not have tried to get myself killed by howling at some wolves," Saoirse chuckled, thinking how foolish she was. Al laughed quietly as well.

"Really? That wasn't very smart,"

"No. No, it wasn't."

The two sat in silence for a little while, and Saoirse continued her gaze outside as the sun set. She sighed and drew a hand over her face. She really hated awkward silence. Silence was completely fine, but awkward silence was…awkward. That's all she could really think of to explain it. And as if he could sense her uncomfortable feelings, Al spoke up at again to break the creeping silence. "So, you said you remember things about your mother?"

Dark eyes glanced at the soul-bound armor and softened. "Yeah, that's right." She murmured with a small smile.

"What was she like?" Al asked curiously and kindly. Saoirse didn't mind talking about her mother. It didn't make her sad anymore. She was just happy she remembered her.

"Well," Saoirse began and stared at the ceiling. "Her name was Abby Alwood, but changed her last name to Alexander when she got remarried. She was raised in eastern Creta and western Ametris. We come from a gypsy family, so she did a lot of traveling. Never stayed in one place, ya' know?"

"You're from a gypsy family? Is that why you might be an illegal?" Al kept his voice low so no one would hear. Saoirse nodded.

"Yup, I don't know where I was born, mom knew, though. Anyway, like I said. She did a lot of traveling. Most of her family were thieves and minor criminals. Not the best group, I guess. Mom's family really wasn't her family, the caravan took in anyone who needed a place to belong and they were all treated like family. My cousin wasn't even my cousin." Saoirse chuckled at remembered how close knit their 'family' was. "While my mom wasn't really much of a thief, she was a troublemaker, from what I remember people telling me. People said she was a wild child and said I was exactly the same,"

Al laughed at her statement. "Well, I guess you aren't the most trouble-free gal, huh?" He asked in an agreeing way. Saoirse didn't even care to object, she just smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I guess," She said sheepishly and scratched her cheek. "While my mom was in southern Amestris, she found herself a mentor who taught blacksmithing and she adored the craft. Then…some stuff happened and eventually I came along. She was a good mom from what I remember. She taught me all about the weapons she made and taught me how to fight and how to handle some of the weapons she allowed me to have. Hell forbid she let me be a housewife, she'd rather me be a Military woman than that. I learned a bit of smithing from her two, but mainly how to maintain a good weapon." Saoirse sighed and looked out, remembering how she worked with the weapons her mother would carry in the caravans.

"She was kind, but a really strict teacher. Mom knew her way around the tricks I would get into. One time she even helped me get away with stealing some books from a library somewhere out in the south. Dublith, I think…"

"You've been to Dublith?!" Al asked, a bit alarmed at the news. Saoirse blinked at him and nodded. "That's where our teacher lives. Teacher taught Ed and I when we were younger,"

Saoirse tilted her head with wonder. "Small world. We were only there for a couple days, our course was down to Rush Valley. Man, now that's where Hal and I got into some deep trouble,"

The talk lasted for a good hour before an interesting town caught Saoirse's eyes. There was a large, while chapel. At least, it looked white. It was dark out, so she couldn't quite tell. "Is that it?" She asked.

Al peered over her shoulder and nodded. "Yup, that's it," He turned to his brother and nudged him awake. "Brother, we're here!"

**A/N: **Short chapter, something to pass the time and all. Plus, I'm on vacation right now and so I kinda just…did some quick thinking in all honesty. Ha! Next time on TOF: We come into Lior! Woo! We get to see some fights, some angst, some petty fights involving shortness and flat chests, and stuff like that. I wonder if we should give a glimpse of Envy…just a cameo…I dunno. Wee! I feel happy on the inside and…really angry on the out. Yay! Teenage antics!

Kill me.

Ah, anyway, I'm checkin' out early! Thanks for reading as always and, don't be shy- leave a dang review! I like reading them…I need to get to responding to some..Oopsy! Sorry! Also feel free to drop a favorite and a follow! All are appreciated!

Ciao!

~DreamColors


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